TOP GUN SEQUEL FILMS ABOARD USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The sequel to the 1986 Hollywood blockbuster "Top Gun" is filming aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) this week, according to the U.S. Navy.

A 15-member crew from Paramount Pictures and Bruckheimer Films went aboard the Lincoln on Sunday and will remain through Saturday, said Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesman Cmdr. Dave Hecht. The Lincoln left Naval Station Norfolk on Aug. 19 embarking F/A-18E Super Hornets assigned to the Fighter Squadrons of the Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) and F-35C Lightning II aircraft from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125. The troupe is shooting the air operations (takeoffs and recoveries) on the flight deck. The aircraft carrier is currently sailing off the coast of Florida.

"The Navy is supporting one shoot this week aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, per a Production Assistance Agreement signed by Paramount (Pictures) and the Department of Defense," service spokesperson Lt. Cdr. Daniel Day told CNN.

"Our priority will always be warfighting, and training combat-ready Naval aviation forces ... That being said, we believe we can support the film and simultaneously achieve training objectives," he said.

The Navy declined to provide details about the exact role the service will play in supporting production but one official told to CNN that US Naval aviators will be flying in the movie.
Paramount Pictures will reimburse the Navy for any costs associated with flying sequences that do not meet training objectives, Day added.

The sequel, entitled "Top Gun: Maverick", had been previously scheduled for July 2019 and then postponed to June 2020.